Legends of Eisenwald combat

When creating the combat system for Legends of Eisenwald, we looked back at the turn-based RPG titles we love as gamers ourselves. Disciples 2 for example, had a quick and nice combat system, and it was an inspiration for our first game, Discord Times. The combat system in LoE is an evolution of Discord Times, while incorporating the best traditions of Disciples 2. We based it on the idea that each move would always cause a strike, so that battles won’t have moves that don’t produce results.

Another difference with the Legends of Eisenwald combat system is that success and speed of battles depends on the skill of a player, and not on any random factor. Without random factors coming into play, it is not necessary to save/load a lot to wait for a “lucky strike” or to avoid a heavy hit against you.

Battles can be lost quickly if your tactics aren’t sound. It’s very important to choose which units to attack, and how to place your units initially, since it is impossible to move ranged or casting units later.

Choices are not only important in battle, but also when preparing for action. It is very important to have a balanced army that is ready to deal with any kind of challenge. That is why unit management is essential for any successful battle. Recruiting a wide range of units such as bowman, mages, knights and dual wielding units, and understanding their strengths and weaknesses, provide a tactical depth that is fulfilling and challenging.

Players can enter battle with a maximum of 12 units, all of which have unique attributes. These are made up of initiative, attack, willpower, melee defense and ranged defense. Certain units are locked to certain weapons; a knight cannot use a bow while a mage cannot use a sword. Setting the formation of your units before entering battle, and protecting your support units, is crucial.
While recruiting units is important, players need to pay special attention when equipping and upgrading their units. Certain weapons will have unique properties, and equipping healing potions could be the difference between success or failure.

Players have three actions available to them when in battle: attack or cast a spell (depending on unit), use equipped item (for example, drink a potion), or skip a turn to use a special ability. Depending on the type of the weapon or on the abilities of the units (mages can restore their spiritual power by skipping a turn for example). Knowing how effective your attacks will be against your enemies is crucial. For instance, mace attacks stun enemies for a turn, and units with two-handed swords will attack three units directly in front of them. Mages act as a support role in battle; they can't attack units directly, however they can cast spells against enemies. The amount of spell power used depends upon your target's willpower rating, which means enemies stats are also important when making decisions on the battlefield.

Legends of Eisenwald aims to deliver a mystical but veracious medieval experience, and that is reflected in the combat system of the game. Most of the development team are avid LARP (Live Action Role-Playing) players, with many of us knowing and learning how medieval weaponry actually worked. We wanted to bring our love of LARP into the combat design, which has been a lot of fun and has required a considerable amount of research.
We hope that you are as excited about the combat system in Legends of Eisenwald as we are.

This is a nice description of combat, and that is a nice screenshot, but isn't this ground that has been already covered? I mean you guys said this would be a sequel to Discord Times, a game every backer probably has played thanks to that one reward, and you did touch on combat for this game specifically, including a demo video of how it looks in game, a while ago. Why are we going over this information yet again?

If we make casting and ranged units moving, it involves many other decisions. We had a version where ranged and casting units could step away from melee units. But it didn't look good, so we reverted it back. Right now we are still thinking about many different options etc. Let me ask you this - is your objection to not moving units a practical one or theoretical? Meaning - did you try the current gameplay in beta and found it too restrictive?

First let me say that I find not moving without striking in the case of melee units to be an excellent game mechanic. Not being able to move ranged or casting units at all however just seems VERY restrictive. You say it makes initial positioning and tactics more important, I'd say that's a huge understatement. It creates a situation where one misstep during initial setup could be irrecoverable over the course of the battle. Positioning and tactics SHOULD be important but having the flexibility to adapt those things as the battle progresses is also important. "No plan survives first contact with the enemy"

Nick Hanson, not moving without striking is a choice that we had to do. On a large battle field like in King's Bounty or HOMM, your ranged and units are protected by the distance. On a small field, and since there are no points of movement, ranged and casting units are protected only by other units. And it makes initial positioning and tactics more important. We tried many different ways, so far this seems the best solution to us.

The screenshot and most of what you've said is really great, good job! I have to say though that I am disappointed by the fact that we won't be able to move ranged and caster units. I know that's how it's been in the pre-releases but for some reason I thought that was just because it wasn't implemented yet, not that it was by design.